Center Stage

Alec Baldwin: AT&T Performing Arts Center benefactor

TV, movie and Broadway star Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) thoroughly charmed a crowd at the Winspear Opera House on Friday; he was the latest speaker in the fabulous Brinker International Forum speaker series. His talk with KLUV-FM DJ Jody Dean was funny, informative and casual, but the high point had to be when Baldwin surprised the audience with his pledge of a $25,000 matching donation to the AT&T Performing Arts Center. SO … head to the AT&T website, attpac,org, or call 214-880-0202, and tell them you want in on the Alec Baldwin matching program. Even if you can only donate $5, that’ll magically turn into $10 thanks to Baldwin’s generosity.

At the after-party in the Winspear’s Hamon Hall, we ran into the nicest couple (that’s them in the picture): Dallas actor David Marriott and his friend Janice Patton. David has a role in Sunday night’s premiere of Dallas-shot GCB. “It’s blink and you miss me,” he said with a laugh. “I’m a Neiman Marcus delivery guy.” Of course — in a show about Dallas, we don’t show normal delivery guys. Just the ones from Neiman Marcus!

Back to Baldwin: During the program, the 52-year-old actor talked about his Long Island upbringing in a “tough, physical household” of six children. He had college advice: Take that time that you’re given to read, and choose a major like English, history or philosophy where you have to read as much as possible, because you’ll never get that much reading time again. The piece of writing that’s had the greatest impact on him? “The U.S. Constitution,” said Baldwin, who studied political science before turning to acting, and has dabbled with running for office.

The crowd loved Baldwin’s spot-on impersonations of Tony Bennett, Robert DeNiro, James Cagney and a sweet-but-vapid, overly enthusiastic NBC page (you could almost see the bow on her head when Baldwin channeled her), and he turned serious and thoughtful when talking about acting as a calling and the relationships he’s made and cherished over the years. My friend Dena, who has had a crush on him since time began, leaned over to me at one point and sighed, “He’s deep.”

HIs stories about 30 Rock had the audience howling. “When you walk in, you can tell the writers right away, because they all look like escaped mental patients, twisting their hair around and staring blankly into space.”

As for what’s next, Baldwin says he’s going to Broadway in February, but couldn’t yet divulge the name of the play or other details. He loves doing theater, he says, especially the “weirdly narcotic” quality of going out on stage every night.

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News, reviews, nuggets and tidbits from the local arts scene, including literature, theater, classical music, opera, dance and the visual arts.